THE Hoops gaffer admitted he had stern words with his players during the break and they responded in perfect fashion by slamming four goals past the Staggies.

IT didn’t take long for Neil Lennon to pick up some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s traits.

After revealing he’d enjoyed a two-hour personal master class from the legendary Manchester United boss, the Celtic gaffer issued his very own “hairdryer” treatment at half-time on Saturday.

Granted, he might not have stripped paint off the Parkhead walls the way Fergie tends to do.

But Lennon proved yet again at the weekend the quality he possesses as a manager as he lifted his team at the interval and cajoled them into a much improved second-half display.

Remember, this is the guy who once saved his job with a powerful half-time pep talk at Rugby Park, with the Hoops trailing Kilmarnock 3-0 and Lennon staring at the abyss.

And he was at it again on Saturday, the players responding to the manager’s words of wisdom by recording a comfortable 4-0 victory over Ross County that increased their lead at the top of the table.

Make no mistake, this was a Jekyll and Hyde performance from Celtic.

For 45 minutes against Derek Adams’s side, they were pedestrian, predictable and one-dimensional.

It’s well documented that they’ve struggled at home in post-Champions League games this season.

Well, this was a post-Champions League draw display because it looked as if Celtic already had Juventus and the last 16 on their minds.

For all the possession Celtic had, it was County who created the first-half’s two best chances and the Highlanders should have led at the break.

Ex-Parkhead kid Rocco Quinn had a golden opportunity to score against his old club after Alex Cooper had picked him out but he rushed his shot and allowed Fraser Forster to smother a weak effort.

Then the same duo exchanged passes in injury time and this time Cooper was the culprit as he lacked composure when clean through and blasted straight at the in-from Celtic keeper.

And that’s when Lennon earned his crust as gaffer. Whatever he said to his players at the interval worked a treat, as it was a different side that emerged for the second period.

There was pace, urgency and, crucially, a bit of guile in the attacking third, which had been missing before the interval.

Lennon said: “I did say something to them at half-time but I can’t tell you what.

“I just wanted a bit more quality in the final third and an intensity to our play. A few of them weren’t playing to their full potential but I got it from them in the second half.

“We got sloppy towards the end of the first half. But overall it’s a clean sheet and a 4-0 win so we’re starting to pick up a bit of pace now.”

It wasn’t just a motivational team talk that ignited Celtic’s win. Lennon’s tactical nous ultimately helped to make the difference.

Allowing his top scorer and main striker Gary Hooper to drop off the forward line and find pockets of space in front of County’s defence proved key to the result. He’s famed for simply being a poacher in the box but the Essex boy – who is pals with TOWIE television star Mark Wright – proved he can also do clever inter-linking play and County couldn’t handle it.

Lennon will be praying Hooper stays fit ahead of the Juve tie in February

The 24-year-old’s contract is due to end in 18 months’ time but Lennon expects him to sign a new one.

The Celtic boss said: “Hooper was brilliant. He looked the best he’s ever looked in training last week.

“He’s lean and hungry. His all-round game was top class and he’ll only get better.

“He’s an intelligent player and there’s things you can’t coach.

“The one thing I’ve always liked about him is his football intelligence. He can drop into space or play on the shoulder of people. He also has the natural knack of scoring goals and we’re getting a great return from him.

“But it’s what he brings to the team and his general all-round play that is so important.

“I haven’t tracked down his agent yet but the soundbite I’m getting from Gary is that he’s delighted with things and happy to stay here with us.”

Lennon and Hooper were the catalysts for a second-half performance that made Celtic worthy winners.

Having barely created an opening in front of goal before the break, they took less then a minute to get their noses in front after half-time.

Hooper dropped deep, picked out Scott Brown on the run and the captain earned another £20 from his manager with a drilled finish under County keeper Mark Brown.

Just seven minutes later it was 2-0. Victor Wanyama’s surging run from midfield – something else that was missing early on – ended with a pass to Lassad on the left wing.

His curling cross found Hooper in the box and he flashed a header past Brown to make Ross County rue those missed chances earlier in the day.

Hooper got his second and Celtic’s third after Brown flapped at a Charlie Mulgrew corner to allow the striker to head in from close range. The points were then sealed by comeback kid James Forrest with 20 minutes to go.

After two months out injured, the winger returned to action as a sub and brought the house down with a superb solo strike. The 21-year-old collected a Hooper pass and drove infield to fire home his first goal of the campaign.

Lennon said: “It’s a huge bonus to get Forrest back. We’re able to revert back to our natural formation when he comes on and you could see Hooper coming alive when he stretched the game.

“James gets people off their seats, he brings a pace to our team and opens games up.